When Love And Death Embrace
by Todd's Pet
Summary: Mt fluffy wraith have gone and I;m writing them wraithier these days. This is Shawn's story and if it doesn't make you cry you have a heart fo stone! I make no apology whatsoever for the sad ending; it's meant to be sad, so there!


When Love And Death Embrace

(With thanks to HIM for the title! Listen to the song at .com/watch?v=cGZ7Fay71XY)

For two months now he has seen her in the worshipper area of the hive every day he passes. Very few officer caste wraith ever go there, let alone the Second in Command, but Shawn has always had a penchant for the best of human food and regularly raids the stores down here.

Her obvious exhaustion cannot dim her beauty and her long, golden red hair and jade green eyes fascinate him. He knows she doesn't belong to the Commander, so he could pull rank and take her for himself. He decides that today will be the day.

oOo

The Elder Worshipper gives Helen the orders with spite and jealousy in her eyes. If she had to go with every wraith who took a fancy to her, perhaps she would not consider it such an honour, Helen thinks. Sheer exhaustion settles deep in her bones and, impatient to get this over with, she swipes the alert in the control panel again and at last the door opens. Shawn appears in the door way and when he sees her expression he merely stands aside to admit her to his rooms.

Before she has taken barely three steps she starts to unbutton her tunic. Shawn puts his hand up to stop her, saying, "I have had a meal prepared for us." He sweeps his hand across to a table in the corner. "Sit with me… eat…"

Helen makes no move toward the table so Shawn walks across and sits down. He pats the chair sitting at right angles to him and says, "It would please me."

When she sits beside him, he realises that she is staring wide-eyed at the food.

"Is it not to your liking?" he asks her.

Still looking at the table she whispers, "I have never seen so much food in one place before… and fresh fruit. I have not seen fresh fruit for several months…"

"How can that be?" he asks her and frowns when she tells him that new worshippers are fed nothing but thin gruel. He sighs; no wonder she looks so tired.

Shawn picks up a peach and hands it to her. Like a frightened bird she snatches it from his hand and bites into it hungrily. Even with peach juice running down her chin and arm, Shawn thinks that she is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.

oOo

Helen leaves the Second's rooms amazed that she had been there for two hours and not once did he even touch her. The hive queen is in heat and all the wraith officers who are not chosen by her are in a frenzy of frustration, hence the reason all the new women are being tested to the limit over these few months – the wraith are like elephants in must!

When she gets back to her bunk in the corner of the new worshipper dormitory, she wonders if she'll be allowed to sleep or be sent off to one of the other wraith. At least this time she has a full belly to give her energy for whatever they might want of her.

oOo

He looks forward to her visits with more enthusiasm than he has felt in centuries. He knows that she is confused because he hasn't demanded sex with her. It's not that he doesn't want it, but he senses her contempt of the other wraith when she speaks of them. For some reason he hasn't quite fathomed yet, he doesn't want her to feel that way about him, in spite of the effort required for him to restrain himself.

He has discovered that she is well educated – a classical education, her species calls it. She indulges him with conversation on art and literature, while he indulges her with sweetmeats and delicacies she has never tasted before.

Last week he had given her a gift of paper and pencils – he remembered how she had wistfully spoken about drawing when she was a child. Suspicious of his intentions she had taken the gift reluctantly, but when she returned the next day she had given him a portrait of himself.

Today he has the portrait framed and sitting on the table. Before he tells her that he has petitioned for her to belong to him and him alone, he wants her to know that he holds her in high regard.

oOo

Helen walks along the hive corridor, her sketchbook tucked under her arm, and realises that she's looking forward to showing Shawn her latest drawings.

She knows that eventually he's going to want the same as the other wraith, but somehow she knows that, given a little time to get over her recent experiences, she may even grow to like being with him. She wonders if he'd be just as gentle and refined in that as he is in everything else, so perhaps it would not be so bad.

And after all, he ensures she eats well and she has never felt so strong since before the wraith took her. She dares to wonder if perhaps he even cares for her – he certainly acts as if he does.

oOo

The first thing she sees is her drawing of him, framed and sitting in the centre of the table. "You like it?" she asks him, smiling.

"Of course," he says, smiling back at her, "because you did it without being asked." He's pleased to see her blush slightly; perhaps it means his news will make her happy.

Once they are settled at the table, he produces a bottle of wine. "We have something to celebrate," he says as he pours two glasses. "I have petitioned the Commander for you to belong to me… only me. My petition has been accepted."

He's not certain what reaction he expected, but Shawn is disappointed that she barely reacts at all. "Helen, this means that you will no longer have to go with any wraith who wants you."

"Yes…" is all she says and Shawn senses that she is still reluctant.

"It does not have to be now," he says kindly, putting his hand over hers. "I cannot deny that I want to, but I have the patience to wait until you are ready."

He is rewarded with a genuine smile from her, "Thank you! I knew you would understand," she lowers her eyes and continues, "I promise I won't make you wait too long."

Shawn laughs warmly, "We are in no hurry!"

"Does this mean I don't have to live in the dormitory any more?"

"You can live in these rooms with me. Would that please you?"

"Very much," Helen smiles.

oOo

The second he walks through the door he feels aroused; his room is full of her scent, on everything she touches. He is exercising more self-control than he remembers having to do for a very long time indeed. But he senses that she is warming to him and knows that she will be a pleasure all the better for not being rushed.

She turns when the door opens and, smiling welcomingly, walks over to him and helps him off with his heavy coat. He breathes in deeply the scent of her hair as she moves around him. He knows that this is more than just a mating instinct because the hive is in heat – he wants this woman and this woman only.

"I discovered a new fruit today," she says, "Perhaps we can share some, if you like? And I've been looking through your books – I hope you don't mind," she chats, clearly relaxed with him.

Shawn smiles, "I would like that very much, and of course I don't mind. Did you find anything you like?"

"Keats!" she enthuses, "You have Keats! He's my favourite."

They settle in companionable comfort together on the divan sofa and Helen smiles often as she tells him about her day. He finds his mind drifting to thoughts of how soft her pale freckled skin will feel as he senses that she is almost ready for him.

oOo

The keening scream cuts through her gentle dream of Shawn and she wakes in a panic. Shawn has let her sleep alone in the big bed for now and she can't see him in the gloom, making her panic rise further. But then she sees his tall shape stand up from the sofa where he has been resting and quickly cross the room to her.

"It is an intruder alert," Shawn informs her, "We must leave."

His door opens and the siren doubles in volume, hurting Helen's ears. Dozens of drones and wraith are passing to and fro and she clings to Shawn's arm as they step out into the corridor. They have gone barely a few steps when a junior wraith officer makes a grab for Helen's arm and tries to tug her away from Shawn.

"All worshippers must come this way," he snarls at her.

Shawn snaps his head round to glare at the other wraith. "She is with me!" he growls and the other wraith slinks off down the corridor without her. "Stay close to me," Shawn tells her, tucking and holding her hand tightly under his arm.

oOo

Although she still occasionally gets lost in the hive, she knows that they had been heading for the bridge, but Shawn has suddenly swerved down a side corridor and they are now heading in a completely different direction that she has never been before.

"Is something wrong?" she asks, seeing the tension in his face.

"The hive is under attack. I sense it is too late. We must get off the ship. Quickly."

She notices his staccato speech, they way he would speak to another wraith, and understands that they are in mortal danger.

She runs by his side to keep up with him until they reach the dart bay. Suddenly she is surrounded by noise and chaos as hundreds of darts take off and buzz around mere metres from her head before blasting out of the rows of docking doors along the far end.

Shawn ushers her urgently towards a single dart sitting off to the side. He gets in first and then holds his hand out to her.

"I do not want to put you in transport in case something goes wrong," he explains, "It will be cramped, but safer. Come."

Helen takes his hand and climbs in beside him, hunching down between his knees so that he can see and reach the controls.

The speed of their take off makes her head reel and she's barely aware of leaving the hive and spinning out into space until she feels the dart rock and sway, and a deep, rumbling vibration and several thuds travel through the whole craft.

"What was that?" she asks, her voice barely a whisper.

"The hive has been destroyed," Shawn says bluntly. "The shockwaves and debris have damaged my dart," he continues, "It will be a bumpy landing, but don't worry, I have handled worse."

Helen isn't sure if he is trying to reassure her or himself more.

oOo

The dart is inoperable and in the heat of battle Shawn did not have time to choose where to land, so they find themselves stranded on a tiny planet with no star gate. Helen tries to stay upbeat as she helps Shawn in his attempts to repair the dart. After all, she thinks, it could be worse; at least the planet has breathable air and plentiful water, although Shawn has been hard pressed to find her anything more to eat than roots.

In the back of her mind Helen tries hard not to think about the fact that Shawn must be starting to feel as hungry as she is.

"I fed very recently before the attack," he tells her gently, sensing her thoughts, "I can last several weeks and we will be off this planet long before then, Helen."

She smiles at him and touches his hand, hoping he is right.

oOo

Over the long, cold weeks they have gotten into the habit of sitting and watching the sunrise together. Shawn has long given up trying to repair the dart and instead busies himself with setting up distress beacons. She knows how fervently he hopes rescue will come soon, before his hunger grows so fierce that he can no longer control himself.

She would have given herself to him by now but she doesn't need telepathy to know he is underplaying the situation for her benefit. As he struggles to control of himself through the long days of waiting for rescue, sex with him now would be as good as suicide.

Several times he has begged her to leave, to lose herself in the deep, dark forests on the other side of the planet, somewhere he will never be able to find her. Each time she has refused to leave him alone, even though she knows her days are numbered.

Then one morning when she wakes Shawn is simply not there. She watches the sunrise alone and wonders how far away he is. She feels bereft; not because she is alone – she doesn't mind being alone – but because she misses Shawn. She searches for him for days, wandering far from the decaying dart.

oOo

She doesn't recognise the feral animal that leaps out at her. As soon as he clamps his hand to her chest, she knows, but by then it's too late. She's too weak to fight him off, and a small part of her, buried deep, deep within her, doesn't really want to.

She's so tired and her heart hurts and she almost welcomes that it's over now. As the darkness crowds into her head, she hears herself whisper, "I forgive you," before she gives up her life, knowing that at least he will live to see another sunrise.

oOo

The hunger burns like a raging inferno that blinds him to everything except feeding on the human in front of him. But as the red cloud of his hunger begins to lift he recognizes her face.

At the same time as the sweetness of her life force quenches his hunger the anguish of what he is doing grips his heart like a vice.

He screams inside his head, trying to drown out the clamour of his hunger's lust for her life force. But it is too late, much too late. Even if he could stop now, she would still die, slowly and in pain.

"Forgive me!" he cries out, his heart rending itself from his chest, even as he is tearing the life force from hers.

Is it his fervid, desperate imagination clinging to whatever salvation he can, or did he really see her lips form the words "I forgive you"?

oOo

He sinks to his knees and cradles her drained and lifeless corpse in his arms. He brushes the fragile wisps of white hair from her face and strokes it gently, vividly remembering the lush red curls he had so often yearned to bury his face in but now never will.

Slouched over her as he is, any other wraith there would simply have seen his shoulders shake. But there is no one else there to see him and so he throws his head back, roars his grief to the heavens and lets his tears fall unchecked, glistening gold in the reflected glow of the sunrise.

END


End file.
